Countess of Chester Hospital unveils Clinical Research Unit and Mobile Research Bus 

The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is transforming healthcare research and accessibility in the area with the launch of a new Clinical Research Unit (CRU) and Mobile Research Bus.

The facility and bus are set to transform the Trust's research capabilities, providing patients with access to the latest treatments and trials. 

Featuring two consultation rooms and an observation bay, the research unit, the first of its kind in West Cheshire, will enable the Trust to conduct a broader range of studies and additional trials, and further establish itself as a centre of research excellence.    

Meanwhile, the mobile research bus complements the unit and is designed to bring clinical trials and healthcare opportunities directly to populations across Cheshire West and beyond, including in rural and deprived communities that may have previously been under-represented in medical studies.  

One of only four research buses in the North West, the bus officially launches on Wednesday, December 11, and will hit the road shortly afterwards: the Clinical Research Unit opens on the same day, and the first patient consultation is booked for Friday 13 December over Zoom, showing a modern-day approach to research and reiterating the Trust’s new five-year strategy to building care around the needs of patients.  

By bringing research directly to local areas, the Trust is ensuring more people have access to cutting-edge medical innovations and currently have around 110 active trials across 24 specialties. 

Both innovations mark a £300,000 overall investment into the Trust's research capabilities, including grants from the North West Coast Clinical Research Network where the Trust was one of five bids to win funding for the CRU.  

Dr Peter Bamford, Director of Clinical Research explained:

"By bringing clinical trials and research closer to our local communities and making them more convenient, we can keep more participants involved in our studies, which leads to stronger and more reliable results.    

"This not only improves the quality of our research but also helps us grow our commercial projects, drive innovation and build partnerships with industry leaders."   

The new research units are the result of significant investment in research, bringing it to the forefront of the NHS’s approach of tackling diseases and conditions, preventing ill-health and reducing health inequalities. The research and healthcare bus is a huge step forward in engaging with local communities and making sure patients can access trials and healthcare closer to home.  

Dr Nigel Scawn, Medical Director at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, added:  

"We are dedicated to advancing healthcare wherever we can, and the fantastic new mobile research unit and Clinical Research Unit will ensure all members of the community have access to the benefits of medical research.    

“A strong research programme means that we are at the forefront of medical advancements, ensuring patients receive the most effective and up-to-date treatments available.”   

"By offering patients a convenient and easy-to-access option, we hope to keep people more involved in our studies and make it easier to carry out important research,"

Work has already started on creating two more research hubs at Ellesmere Port and Tarporley Hospitals, and along with the CRU and the bus, they will create a research network within Cheshire. 

Pictured - Matthew Hopley,  a patient whose life has been transformed by losing seven stone after participating in a clinical research trial for weight loss.